At 80, most people have stopped working, and are enjoying life as best they can but not for a now 80 year ol Barry Manilow who shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Having just finished a five day engagement at Radio City Music Hall, Manilow continues to perform at his Las Vegas residency, has several more concerts planned this summer, and is working to fulfill a dream of seeing his original musical “Harmony” on Broadway – which is scheduled to begin this fall. And if he wasn’t already busy enough, Manilow is looking to release some new music this year.
In the 70’s Manilow and fellow collaborator Bruce Sussman combined to compose the story song “Copacabana”; which later became a film and a hit Broadway musical. Manilow and Sussman are looking to repeat the success with “Harmony” – the story of six humourists in 1930’s Germany.
Born on June 17, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, Manilow now resides in Palm Springs, California with his partner.
In 1974 the former jingle writer and music arranger saw his world forever change when a lady named “Mandy” came into his life. The chart topping pop hit propelled Manilow into a whirlwind of pop songs, tours, and millions of record sales.
In the some 50 years since the release of “Mandy”, Manilow has recorded over three dozen albums, has three American Music Awards; is an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner, has sold over 80 million albums, and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fam. While he has written hundreds of songs…he didn’t write that one; that credit goes to Beach Boy Bruce Johnston.
With a passion for music that exceeds everything else Berry Manilow lives to create and play music; and while the critics haven’t always been kind, his loyal fan base continue to fill concert venues bringing friends, children, and grandchildren along for the ride.
His 1976 concert at the Uris Theater set a record for selling out in only a few hours during a time when tickets were purchased by waiting hours…and sometimes days…in line at the venue or spending hours on a push button phone praying for a ring and not the busy signal. Today the method of purchasing tickets has changed but a Barry Manilow concert ticket can sell out just as fast. His.VIP packages sell out in just a few minutes.